Photo: A small bighorn grazing on Tower Road in Yellowstone last July. I rounded a corner and there it was! Note that I did not get out of the car to harass or pet the sheep or even to get a better photo.
Last week a herd of Montana bighorn sheep was found to have contracted pnuemonia, most likely from domestic sheep or goats. The bighorn herd contained about 220 indiviuals but now only 19 are left.
Read Helena's Independent Republic story here.
This is sad news, epecially in an area ruled by livestock interests. Bighorn numbers have been decreasing overall without this disease. Bighorns have repeateldly been relocated to areas "better for them." I personally worked on a bighorn relocation project deciding which areas would be best to do controlled burns. This project was for future use and hasn't been carried out yet. Why burn an area? Well, mountain lions hang out on treed areas to hide from their prey. An area of very little or no tree cover would be void of mountain lions therefore safer for bighorns. Needless to say, I did have personal issues with this project but it was a fantastic way to learn about wildlife management.
We should have just left all the animals where they were to begin with, as the Natives did. Things are all messed up for animals like the bighorns. Plus it takes much money to relocate animals to areas that aren't suitable for them anyway-rounding them up and sometimes tranquilizing them, fuel costs to haul the animals, money to forcibly make suitable habitat, money to relocated the animals being displaced-like the mountain lions (which are probably just shot anyway), money to pay the folks and agencies doing the relocating.... All seems ridiculous and wasteful to me. Oh, I understand it is in the name of "saving a species" but is it truly helping or just making more problems?
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Bighorn Sheep Herd Annihilated
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4 comments:
Hi Heavenabove;
Growing up in the Rockies I can remember seeing herds of bighorn in our front yard, magnificent animals.
I am wondering…since wildlife management seems intent on “culling” bison that have not shown any diseases but may just potentially transfer such a disease to domesticate animals if perhaps since these bighorn probably caught this pneumonia from either domesticated sheep or goats if they are now considering “culling” said sheep and goats….
;)
The costs and unintended consequences of such drastic actions as you describe with the relocation seem rather potentially hazardous and over the top…Speaking as one looking from the outside in…It seems to me that these kinds of burn backs are rather archaic..
It must have been an informative encounter for you…
Certainly the balance with these kids of situations is complex, yet you would think that caution would be the word….
Very interesting article…
By the way did you know I talk about you in my recent Creation on the Blade 1 Year Anniversary article?
:)
Celular, thanks for stopping by. I would love to add your blog to my blogroll as well but I get a message saying "this blog has been removed" when I try to get there.
I searched around on the web. It appears that celular (and others) leave the exact message on many, many blogs perhaps as some sort of crazy internet business venture. Please do not add me to that type of blogroll.
Hi Heavenabove;
The kind of “comment” cracks me up, talk about tacky product placement! LOL
And to think I missed all of this as it appears I forgot to tick the email box….
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